Site Status: inscribed in the Tentative List of the Russian Federation in 2005

Magadan Nature Reserve was created in 1982. It includes a variety of landscapes and natural complexes in the Magadan Region. It consists of several clusters located at a significant distance from each other. These clusters are difficult to reach; there are no settlements or roads nearby, and their terrain, climate, flora and fauna differ significantly.

The nature reserve relates to the Okhotsk District of the North Pacific geographical region. It is separated from inner regions of Siberia by the mountains of the Kolyma-Okhotsk watershed. The distinctive feature of the territory is the monsoon climate. The natural characteristics of the Sea of Okhotsk, that strongly influences the coastal area, especially in summer, are similar to those of Arctic seas.

The dominant types of vegetation here are northern taiga mountain sparse forests consisting of Daurian larch and Siberian dwarf pine. There are also species on the northern edge of their natural habitat – relics, and rare species in the Magadan Region (Siberian spruce, One-flowered Wintergreen, Clematis Fusca Turcz). The fauna is comprised of East Siberian taiga species (173 bird species and 39 mammal species). There are 32 species of fish, including a wide range of salmon: chum salmon, humpback salmon, coho salmon, Arctic salmon, East Siberian char, Siberian white salmon, Chinook salmon, blue-backed salmon. The Siberian sturgeon can also be spotted. The largest of the Yamsky Islands, Motykil, is the northernmost breeding ground for sea lions. In the coastal areas, there is the largest rookery in the northern Pacific Ocean.